---
title: "Reference checking software: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the software hiring teams use to collect and check candidate references. Share of Search among Zinc, Checkster, Referoo, Crosschq, HiPeople, SkillSurvey, RefNow, Xref and Checkmate, the reference checking software Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/reference-checking-software"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Reference checking software: Which are searched most?

Compare the software hiring teams use to collect and check candidate references. Share of Search among Zinc, Checkster, Referoo, Crosschq, HiPeople, SkillSurvey, RefNow, Xref and Checkmate, the reference checking software Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Reference checking software
- **Market**: Global
- **Brands compared**: 9
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Zinc, 22.3%

## Which brand is most popular in search among reference checking software worldwide?

- In September 2026, Zinc was the most searched among reference checking software worldwide, with an estimated 3.6K branded searches, 22.3% of all searches for the nine we track.
- Checkster is in 2nd place, 4.3 percentage points behind at 18%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zinc’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide increased from 18.1% to 22.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Checkster’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide increased from 15% to 18%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Crosschq’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide decreased from 15% to 11.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, HiPeople’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide decreased from 15% to 11.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, RefNow’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide decreased from 5.5% to 4.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xref’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide increased from 2.4% to 3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zinc’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 23.2% in July 2026 and was lowest at 18.1% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Checkster’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 23.8% in May 2026 and was lowest at 15% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Referoo’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 20.5% in February 2026 and was lowest at 15.1% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Crosschq’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 15.8% in April 2026 and was lowest at 11% in November 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, HiPeople’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 19.4% in December 2025 and was lowest at 11.8% in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SkillSurvey’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 10% in October 2025 and was lowest at 6.4% in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, RefNow’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 6% in November 2025 and was lowest at 3.7% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xref’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 3.9% in May 2026 and was lowest at 1.2% in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zinc rose from 2nd to 1st among reference checking software worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Checkster rose from 3rd to 2nd among reference checking software worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Referoo fell from 1st to 3rd among reference checking software worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SkillSurvey and Checkmate held steady: their share of searches among reference checking software worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Top reference checking software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, HiPeople and Xref appeared every time. Xref was recommended most often, coming first in every answer. HiPeople was second, and Checkmate was third. Checkster, which ranked second in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options.

| Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Xref | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 |
| HiPeople | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 |
| Checkmate | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 |
| Crosschq | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 |
| RefNow | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 |
| SkillSurvey | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 |
| Zinc | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 |
| Checkster | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 |
| Referoo | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 |

## Every AI answer about reference checking software

- Asked ChatGPT "Which reference checking software should we use for hiring?": 1. Xref, 2. HiPeople, 3. Crosschq, 4. Checkmate
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the best reference checking software platforms?": 1. Xref, 2. Checkmate, 3. HiPeople, 4. Crosschq, 5. RefNow, 6. SkillSurvey, 7. Zinc
- Asked ChatGPT "What's the best automated reference checking software for a growing company?": 1. Xref, 2. HiPeople, 3. Crosschq, 4. SkillSurvey
- Searched Google, AI Overview "reference check software": 1. Xref, 2. Checkmate, 3. RefNow, 4. HiPeople
- Searched Google, AI Overview "reference checking software": 1. Xref, 2. Checkmate, 3. RefNow, 4. HiPeople

Not named in any answer: Checkster and Referoo.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 22, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Zinc vs Checkster: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/checkster-vs-zinc-work): 22.3% against 18% Share of Search.
- [Zinc vs Referoo: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/referoo-vs-zinc-work): 22.3% against 18% Share of Search.
- [Zinc vs Crosschq: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/crosschq-vs-zinc-work): 22.3% against 11.8% Share of Search.
- [Zinc vs HiPeople: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/hipeople-vs-zinc-work): 22.3% against 11.8% Share of Search.
- [Checkster vs Referoo: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/checkster-vs-referoo): 18% Share of Search each.
- [Checkster vs Crosschq: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/checkster-vs-crosschq): 18% against 11.8% Share of Search.
- [Checkster vs HiPeople: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/checkster-vs-hipeople): 18% against 11.8% Share of Search.
- [Referoo vs Crosschq: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/crosschq-vs-referoo): 18% against 11.8% Share of Search.
- [Referoo vs HiPeople: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/hipeople-vs-referoo): 18% against 11.8% Share of Search.
- [Crosschq vs HiPeople: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/crosschq-vs-hipeople): 11.8% Share of Search each.

## How did search popularity change for reference checking software worldwide in September 2026?

- In September 2026, Referoo gained share of searches among reference checking software worldwide, from 15.1% to 18%.
- In September 2026, SkillSurvey gained share of searches among reference checking software worldwide, from 8.2% to 9.9%.
- In September 2026, RefNow gained share of searches among reference checking software worldwide, from 3.7% to 4.5%.
- In September 2026, Xref gained share of searches among reference checking software worldwide, from 2.5% to 3%.
- In September 2026, Checkster lost share of searches among reference checking software worldwide, from 22.7% to 18%.
- Crosschq’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 12.5% to 11.8% in September 2026.
- HiPeople’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 12.5% to 11.8% in September 2026.
- In September 2026, Zinc rose from 2nd to 1st among reference checking software worldwide.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Zinc | 22.3% | 3.6K | 0.0% | Zinc |
| 2 | Checkster | 18% | 2.9K | -19.4% | Harver |
| 3 | Referoo | 18% | 2.9K | +20.8% | Referoo |
| 4 | Crosschq | 11.8% | 1.9K | 0.0% | Crosschq |
| 5 | HiPeople | 11.8% | 1.9K | 0.0% | HiPeople |
| 6 | SkillSurvey | 9.9% | 1.6K | +23.1% | iCIMS |
| 7 | RefNow | 4.5% | 720 | +22.0% | RefNow |
| 8 | Xref | 3% | 480 | +23.1% | Xref |
| 9 | Checkmate | 0.87% | 140 | -17.6% | Checkmate |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Referoo | 2.9K | 18.1% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Zinc | 2.9K | 18.1% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Checkster | 2.4K | 15% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Crosschq | 2.4K | 15% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | HiPeople | 2.4K | 15% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | SkillSurvey | 1.6K | 10% | 6 |
| Oct 2025 | RefNow | 880 | 5.5% | 7 |
| Oct 2025 | Xref | 390 | 2.4% | 8 |
| Oct 2025 | Checkmate | 170 | 1.1% | 9 |
| Nov 2025 | Referoo | 2.9K | 19.8% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Zinc | 2.9K | 19.8% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Checkster | 2.4K | 16.4% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | HiPeople | 2.4K | 16.4% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Crosschq | 1.6K | 11% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | SkillSurvey | 1K | 6.8% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | RefNow | 880 | 6% | 7 |
| Nov 2025 | Xref | 390 | 2.7% | 8 |
| Nov 2025 | Checkmate | 140 | 0.96% | 9 |
| Dec 2025 | HiPeople | 2.4K | 19.4% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Zinc | 2.4K | 19.4% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Checkster | 1.9K | 15.3% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Referoo | 1.9K | 15.3% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Crosschq | 1.6K | 12.9% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | SkillSurvey | 1K | 8.1% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | RefNow | 720 | 5.8% | 7 |
| Dec 2025 | Xref | 320 | 2.6% | 8 |
| Dec 2025 | Checkmate | 140 | 1.1% | 9 |
| Jan 2026 | Zinc | 2.9K | 20.2% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Checkster | 2.4K | 16.7% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | HiPeople | 2.4K | 16.7% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Referoo | 2.4K | 16.7% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Crosschq | 1.9K | 13.3% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | SkillSurvey | 1.3K | 9.1% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | RefNow | 720 | 5% | 7 |
| Jan 2026 | Xref | 170 | 1.2% | 8 |
| Jan 2026 | Checkmate | 140 | 0.98% | 9 |
| Feb 2026 | Referoo | 2.9K | 20.5% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Zinc | 2.9K | 20.5% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Checkster | 2.4K | 17% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Crosschq | 1.9K | 13.4% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | HiPeople | 1.9K | 13.4% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | SkillSurvey | 1K | 7.1% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | RefNow | 720 | 5.1% | 7 |
| Feb 2026 | Xref | 260 | 1.8% | 8 |
| Feb 2026 | Checkmate | 170 | 1.2% | 9 |
| Mar 2026 | Checkster | 2.9K | 18.3% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Referoo | 2.9K | 18.3% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Zinc | 2.9K | 18.3% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Crosschq | 2.4K | 15.2% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | HiPeople | 1.9K | 12% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | SkillSurvey | 1.3K | 8.2% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | RefNow | 880 | 5.6% | 7 |
| Mar 2026 | Xref | 480 | 3% | 8 |
| Mar 2026 | Checkmate | 170 | 1.1% | 9 |
| Apr 2026 | Checkster | 2.9K | 19.1% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Zinc | 2.9K | 19.1% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Crosschq | 2.4K | 15.8% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Referoo | 2.4K | 15.8% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | HiPeople | 1.9K | 12.5% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | SkillSurvey | 1.3K | 8.6% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | RefNow | 720 | 4.7% | 7 |
| Apr 2026 | Xref | 480 | 3.2% | 8 |
| Apr 2026 | Checkmate | 170 | 1.1% | 9 |
| May 2026 | Checkster | 3.6K | 23.8% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Zinc | 2.9K | 19.1% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Referoo | 2.4K | 15.8% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Crosschq | 1.9K | 12.5% | 4 |
| May 2026 | HiPeople | 1.9K | 12.5% | 5 |
| May 2026 | SkillSurvey | 1K | 6.6% | 6 |
| May 2026 | RefNow | 720 | 4.8% | 7 |
| May 2026 | Xref | 590 | 3.9% | 8 |
| May 2026 | Checkmate | 140 | 0.92% | 9 |
| Jun 2026 | Checkster | 2.9K | 19.1% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Referoo | 2.9K | 19.1% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Zinc | 2.9K | 19.1% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Crosschq | 1.9K | 12.5% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | HiPeople | 1.9K | 12.5% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | SkillSurvey | 1.3K | 8.6% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | RefNow | 720 | 4.7% | 7 |
| Jun 2026 | Xref | 480 | 3.2% | 8 |
| Jun 2026 | Checkmate | 170 | 1.1% | 9 |
| Jul 2026 | Checkster | 3.6K | 23.2% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Zinc | 3.6K | 23.2% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Referoo | 2.4K | 15.5% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Crosschq | 1.9K | 12.2% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | HiPeople | 1.9K | 12.2% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | SkillSurvey | 1K | 6.4% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | RefNow | 590 | 3.8% | 7 |
| Jul 2026 | Xref | 390 | 2.5% | 8 |
| Jul 2026 | Checkmate | 140 | 0.9% | 9 |
| Aug 2026 | Checkster | 3.6K | 22.7% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Zinc | 3.6K | 22.7% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Referoo | 2.4K | 15.1% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Crosschq | 1.9K | 12% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | HiPeople | 1.9K | 12% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | SkillSurvey | 1.3K | 8.2% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | RefNow | 590 | 3.7% | 7 |
| Aug 2026 | Xref | 390 | 2.5% | 8 |
| Aug 2026 | Checkmate | 170 | 1.1% | 9 |
| Sep 2026 | Zinc | 3.6K | 22.3% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | Checkster | 2.9K | 18% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Referoo | 2.9K | 18% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | Crosschq | 1.9K | 11.8% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | HiPeople | 1.9K | 11.8% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | SkillSurvey | 1.6K | 9.9% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | RefNow | 720 | 4.5% | 7 |
| Sep 2026 | Xref | 480 | 3% | 8 |
| Sep 2026 | Checkmate | 140 | 0.87% | 9 |

## What is being compared

- **Checkmate**: Measured on the search term “checkmate.tech”.
- **Checkster**: Measured on the search term “checkster”.
- **Crosschq**: Measured on the search term “crosschq”.
- **HiPeople**: Measured on the search term “hipeople”.
- **Referoo**: Measured on the search term “referoo”.
- **RefNow**: Measured on the search term “refnow”.
- **SkillSurvey**: Measured on the search term “skillsurvey”.
- **Xref**: Measured on the search term “xref reference check”.
- **Zinc**: Measured on the search term “zinc work”.

- [Checkmate](/demand/global-en/brands/checkmate-tech)
- [Checkster](/demand/global-en/brands/checkster)
- [Crosschq](/demand/global-en/brands/crosschq)
- [HiPeople](/demand/global-en/brands/hipeople)
- [Referoo](/demand/global-en/brands/referoo)
- [RefNow](/demand/global-en/brands/refnow)
- [SkillSurvey](/demand/global-en/brands/skillsurvey)
- [Xref](/demand/global-en/brands/xref)
- [Zinc](/demand/global-en/brands/zinc-work)

## Methodology

- [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among reference checking software worldwide?

In September 2026, Zinc was the most searched among reference checking software worldwide, with an estimated 3.6K branded searches, 22.3% of all searches for the nine we track. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Reference checking software: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/reference-checking-software

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/reference-checking-software. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.